New Oregon-BPA Agreement Protects Willamette Habitat

On Oct. 22, the State of Oregon and the Bonneville Power Administration signed a landmark agreement to jointly protect nearly 20,000 acres of Willamette Basin wildlife habitat -- more than twice the area of Oregon's largest state park. The agreement dedicates stable funding from electric ratepayers for 15 years to cost-effectively safeguard Willamette habitat for many native species such as Oregon's state bird, the western meadowlark. It also provides for BPA funding of two major initial habitat acquisitions: Purchase of 1,270 acres at the confluence of the Middle and Coast forks of the Willamette River southeast of Eugene by The Nature Conservancy and a conservation easement on 1,310 acres of forest and other habitat owned by Our Lady of Guadalupe Trappist Abbey near Lafayette, Ore.

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News & Politics

Tags:

• Wildish property
• environmental protection
• BPA
• Bonneville Power
• habitat